Merry Christmas Wise Girl
by ShayCasey99
Summary: A holiday filled with mishaps and cute Percabeth magic, ending with a question with only two possible answers. Yes or no?
1. Chapter 1

I can feel the weight of the small velvet black box in my pocket, my fingers tracing the edges. What if she says no? I shake my head, my dark hair ridding itself of the snowflakes. If she says no I'll probably get on an airplane and let Zeus strike me down from the sky. I can practically hear Zeus's voice echoing through the clouds, _Say no Annabeth. Say no._

With my head stuck in the metaphorical clouds, I don't hear her walk up to me until her arms are wrapped around my neck and her lips are pressing themselves against my cheek. They lift for a second, long enough for me to feel her hot breath as she speaks, "Hey." The corners of my mouth pull up in a lopsided smile, my hand pulling out of my pocket as I spin around to face her, wrapping my arms around her waist. Hoisted up on her toes, her mouth finds it's place against mine and I feel her smile against me. When we both pull away, I press my forehead against hers, looking down into her grey eyes. I move one hand from her waist, and it finds the single grey streak that rests with the long blond hair trailing down her back. There's a small ping in the pit of my stomach, when I think of the fact that my matching streak, the only proof of our shared experience holding the sky, was erased so I could be a pawn in a gods scheme.

"Hey," Annabeth draws back my attention, leaning into my touch as my fingers trail over her face, "You okay?" The look of pure concern in her eyes brings me back to the ring in my pocket. I nod.

"Did you bring them?" I ask, and she slowly unravels herself from my grasp. Her backpack strap falls down her coat covered arm until it reaches her hand. She unzips it and pulls out a pair of muddled white ice skates. I smile again, before grabbing my own pair off the ground and pulling her towards one of the benches.

X X X

Annabeth's hold on my hand tightens as we glide across the ice, "Percy I'm not very good at this." Her other hand grabs at my forearm as her skates stumble against the rink.

"Really?" I stare down at her, "You have the brain power to strategize for a war. You've battled giants, titans and a crush on _moi_ for nearly 5 years." At this she halfheartedly glares at me, " You even faced Arachne and a horde of evil spiders that wanted to kill you. And you're telling me that a couple layers of ice on concrete has you beat." I shake my head, smiling, "Jeez Wise Girl, you are not the girl I thought you were."

She slaps me on the arm, stumbles again, and then grabs my arm again, "Shut up Seaweed Brain. It's harder than it looks." I pull her along a little faster, and she shuts her eyes tightly, "Percy." I stop suddenly, and she lets out the quietest squeal as I pull her against my chest in the middle of the rink. Her hands fly from my arm to my chest, balling up into fists. Families and other couples circle us. She lets her head fall against my chest, "What was that for?"

I kiss her on the head, my hand moving from her back to my pocket. But just as my hand is slipping into the pouch in my jeans, somebody bumps into me. I fall forward, knocking Annabeth off her feet and we move towards the ground. For a brief second I'm reminded of our trip to Tartarus, and I have just enough time to wrap a hand around her head to protect her before we land on the hard ice. My other arm is against the small of her back, and my knees ache from trying to keep my weight off of her. "Are you okay?" I ask, pulling my head back to get a good look at her. She nods. "Good." My lips press against her forehead and I slowly slide my hand out from under her head. I move my hand from her back and uneasily stand up, before offering my hand to her. She grabs it but as soon as I hoist her up I lose my balance again. I move back a few steps before falling over. This time she falls on me, pressing against my chest as I land on my butt.

A small laugh escapes her lips as she pats me on the chest with her fingers, "Why don't we just stay here for a second?" Her hair is decorated in a layer of snowflakes.

"Sounds like a plan." I laugh to myself, "Probably the best plan we've ever made." Annabeth smiles, positioning herself more comfortably against me. Her head rests against my shoulder, and I watch as her eyes flutter closed with a content sigh.

I clench my teeth, before taking a gulping breath and speaking the start of a speech that we'll both remember for the rest of our lives. Which hopefully will be longer than most of the gods would like, "Annabeth..." I reach for the ring in my pocket, before freezing. It's not there. My head jerks around, overlooking the ice rink. It's not there. Where is it? Panic starts to override my brain, mixed with a tinge of annoyance.

"Yeah?" She tilts her head up towards me, her grey eyes sparking with bright curiosity. I hesitate for a second, before tilting my head down and meeting her lips. She sighs again, before reaching her hands up to my face. Their ice cold, leaving shivers along my nerves. Patting my pocket one more time, I shove Annabeth lightly.

"C'mon. Let's go home." She nods, before we both stand up, staying on our feet this time. I pull her along with me, and soon enough we reach the edge of the rink. Annabeth clings to the side, wobbling onto the concrete. I slide back into my sneakers, and the two of us stash our skates in Annabeth's bag.

"What were you going to say before?" She asks as I pull her against my side, the two of us walking towards our apartment.

"Oh," now is not the time. When it's time, I'll know it, "Just that I love you." She smiles again.

"I love you too."

"Oh, and I wanted to know what you want for Christmas."

She slaps me on the arm again, "Percy! Christmas is three days away!"

I hold up my hands in surrender, "I was only kidding." I chuckle at my own humor, and she just shakes her head, leaning it against me as we walk.


	2. Chapter 2

I kiss Annabeth on the forehead, watching her sleep induced body squirm against the bed covers. With a long sigh I move towards the living room, before reaching the front door and pulling it open. When I lock it behind me, I stick the apartment key in my pocket and start to sulk down the hallway. I can't believe I lost it. It took me two weeks to save up the cash. _Two week?_ You might ask. _How much did it cost?_

Unfortunately not a lot. You'd be surprised how hard it is to keep a job when at any moment you might have to leave to fight an old lady and her pet chihuahua (Don't laugh. It happened.) I scuff my heel against the carpeted ground as I reach the elevator.

I could have zipped the ring up in my jacket pocket. I could have put it in my backpack and grabbed it after. But no. I had to stuff it halfhazardly in my jeans pocket as the two of us shuffled across the large rink. Maybe my brain really is seaweed. The elevator doors ping open and I slide in, pulling my back pack further up my arm. Atleast Riptide always comes back, otherwise I would have lost it a long time ago. Befor the elevator can reach the lobby the doors open again, and an old lady walks into the elevator with her pet chihuahua in her purse. I sense spikes of panic through my veins as my mind surfs through the 8 year old memory.

When the old lady turns to look at me my entire body freezes, and my hand reaches for Riptide in my pocket. But this old lady doesn't look like Echidna. She looks kinder, with soft wrinkles along the corners of her eyes, and marks that indicate she's spent her whole life smiling. Definitely not the mother of all monsters. "Good morning," she says to me, her peach colored dog yapping at me.

"Morning." The doors close again, this time staying shut until we reach the main floor. I let the woman out first, before narrowly avoiding getting squished by the metal. The woman smiles at me as I pass her, leaving the apartment building and heading to the subway. A furious storm of snow falls from the sky, swirling in front of me and pushing against me as it freezes my face. I pass the bus and can't stop myself from shivering, from more than just the cold. I don't take the bus. Bad memories of nearly being killed on the bus. I blew up a bus. If there's another option, I'm all for it.

Scanning my subway card, I hurry into the station and wait for the train to pull into the underground area and pull to a stop. It takes about 15 minutes for me to reach my stop, shuffling off with a bunch of other New York citizens before hurrying up the stairs to work. If it's possible, it's even windier than it was before I went into the station. I reach the aquarium with my hair almost completely white. And soon enough I'm busy mopping the floors, watching as visitors run by to look at the fish and the sharks. Every once in a while when a little kid stops by the nearest tank, I ask the shark or the dolphin to come say hi, wave at the child and fill it with a joy that will last them the rest of the day. And when the hallway is completely empty, I move my hand over the water, dragging the immobilized wave over the floor. Much more efficient.

"Jeez Percy, what are you trying to do, expose us all?" I spin around so fast I nearly slip on my own wave. Standing behind me, with an obnoxious smirk on his face is Jason, his glasses threatening to fall off his nose.

"Damn Jason, you startled me." I shake my head, letting my hand relax the water back in the neon yellow bucket.

"Sorry man." He crosses his arms over his chest, "But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you and Annabeth be knocked out from celebrating?"

"Um..."

"Oh Percy," Jason shakes his head, running a hand through his blond hair, "That's rough. Though, I have to admit I was wondering if she'd ever realize she could do better."

"Bro!?" I shake my head, "No, I never got the chance to ask her." He looks confused, and I lower my head in shame, "I lost it ice skating."

"What?" I barely hear the word as Jason bursts out laughing, "Jeez Percy, that's crazy even for you."

"I know," I lean the mop handle against the wall, "And now I don't have any idea what to do. I wanted to propose before Christmas, but at the rate I'm going I'm not going to have enough money until Easter."

Jason shrugs, "Easter's not so bad."

I sigh, "Jason, that's not the point. The reality is that we could be dead by Easter. And I don't want to go any longer without making sure Annabeth knows how much she means to me, and that I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Jason smiles, pushing his glasses up his nose. I notice a crack lining the side of one of the lenses. "I think as long as you tell her that, Annabeth isn't going to care whether or not she's got a ring."

"That's not the point either. The girl should get a ring."

"Then go talk to your mom."

"My mom?"

"If there's anyone you should talk about this with, it's your mom." I nod, before a beep sounds from Jason's pocket. he pulls out a cellphone, and I gape at him.

"A cellphone?" Jason laughs.

"Piper convinced me to get one. So we can always find each other."

"Well it's about time you joined the rest of us." Percy shakes his head, "Frank has been sending puns over the group chat for the past week." Another laugh as Jason checks his phone.

"It's Piper. I have to go meet her at the book store." Before he goes he pats me on the arm in an awkward attempt at support, "And don't worry. There's no way Annabeth is going to say no."


	3. Chapter 3

"Here you go Honey," mom hands me a cup of steaming hot chocolate, the brown liquid colored blue through her ever expanding usage of food coloring. Little blue marshmallows bounce along the surface, white froth ringing the mug.

"Thanks mom," I look around the apartment, "Where's Paul?"

"He went out for groceries," mom says wistfully. I smile, briefly remembering how terrible her life had been with my first step-dad, Gabe Ugliano. And now he's probably dotting somebody's lawn as a statue, though who would want that out in the open I'll never know. She sits down across from me at the round kitchen table, and stares me down with that concerned mother look she's constantly giving me, "Sweetie, not that I'm not happy to have you here, because I am, but what's wrong?"

I sigh, "I bought a ring for Annabeth."

"An engagement ring?" Mom breaks out in a wide smile when I nod, her teeth partially tinged from the blue cocoa, "Did you give it to her?" I shake my head and her smile falls, "Why not?"

"I let go of my mug and put my head in my hands as I speak, preparing myself for her reaction, "I took her ice skating last night, and I was going to give it to her there, but it fell out of my pocket."

"Percy, you lost it?!" I nod again. Her dark eyebrows knit together for a moment as she thinks about something, "I think I have an idea." And with that she leaves her mug on the table as she stand up and hurries towards the room that used to be mine. With nothing else to do, I follow her out of the kitchen. My room has been converted into a storage area, filled with musty boxes of old photos and dusty heirlooms. Mom starts digging through smaller box on a wooden cabinet against the wall of the room. When she yanks out a small, leathery brown box with a look of satisfaction. Turning back to face me she holds out a box, "Here."

"Aw mom, you shouldn't have," I mutter as I take it from her and flip open the lids. Inside on a bed of what looks like black velvet is a silver ring. A green stone rests in the center, with intricate silver lines that look like tentacles circling it. Smaller blue stones line the band, 3 on either side of the center stone. "Mom..."

"It was a gift to me from your father," she looks to the side, losing her train of thought for a second in the old memory, "He said it would remind me of him when he was away." She smiles, almost sadly, and the blue has been wiped away from her white teeth, "Give it to Annabeth."

"Mom, I can't take this." Even before I say it she's shaking her head stubbornly. Wonder where I got that from.

"You can and you will," she rests her hand on my shoulders, "Annabeth is a very special girl. Most couples don't get the kind of history you two have together. Don't ever let her get away." She kisses me on the forehead, "And if you lose tht ring, whatever I do to you won't be anywhere near as terrible as what your _father_ does." I gulp, closing the ring box and clenching it in my hand.

"Thank you, mom."

"Your welcome Percy. Now you better go and get me a daughter-in-law." She gives me a hug, and with the ring still in my hand we walk back into the kitchen to finish off our blue cocoa.

X X X

Annabeth bites down on the tip of the pizza slice, the cheese stretching out between her mouth and the crust almost comically. I chuckle, before biting into my fifth slice. My thought jump briefly to the ring sitting in my coat pocket, zipped up this time. When it's the right time and place, I'll know it. But I don't want to be caught without the ring. When I pull out of my head I find Annabeth gazing at me, "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

"You can't be thinking about nothing, that's impossible. You have to be thinking about something."

I take a bite before answering, "Actually, I was thinking about the _word_ nothing. But I guess if I have to, I could start thinking about the _word_ something." She rolls her eyes at me but a grin tugs at her lips. Annabeth changes the subject.

"So how was your visit with your mom?"

"It was nice." She looks at me like she's waiting for more details, "We had some blue hot chocolate and we talked."

"Ah, so that would be why your tongue and teeth were blue when you got home." She finishes her pizza slice, before chomping down on her third. The pizzeria is almost completely empty, filled with the warm, welcoming scent of baked bread. The world outside is coated in a fresh layer of snow, more flakes floating from the sky. It feels like it's been infinitely snowing for days, layers upon layers building up along the New York side walks. This time, the snowflakes seem thicker, heavier, filling the air as they fall.

"You ready to go?" I ask as she finishes her slice. She nods.

"Heading home?" I shake my head, "Where are we going?"

"Just come with me," she looks at me studiously, as I stand up and make my way out of the pizzeria. I grab her hand, her fingers fitting between mine like puzzle pieces. Despite the cold as we exit the building, the hand holding hers is warm.

"Percy slow down. Not all of us can walk this fast on a stomach full of pizza," Annabeth complains, and I can practically picture the gears in her head workign overtime to figure out where I'm taking her. But the constant snowfall gave me an idea the other night and with the help of an old friend I'm confident we can pull it off. "Seaweed Brain I'm serious, where are you taking me?"

"If you're so wise, Wise Girl, I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Percy," we hurry down the street, and I can see out destination, a horde of trees with a nearly hidden hill in the center, getting closer.

"Relax we're almost there," we reach the trees and I can feel the confusion emanating off of Annabeth.

"What are we-"

"Shh, come on." I lead her through the trees and up the hill, where a familiar black backside faces us. I can hear him munching on the grass at his hooves, "Blackjack," I call, but he's clearly very invested in the dead grass he's dug up from beneath the snow, "Blackjack." Annabeth giggles, and I let out a high pitched whistle to get his attention. The Pegasus lifts it's head and turns to look at us.

"Oh, hiya boss," he says, glancing at Annabeth with a nod, "Boss's lady." Thankfully Annabeth didn't understand him, otherwise the grass wouldn't be the only thing buried, dead, beneath the snow. "At you service."

"Percy what's going on?"

I turn away from Blackjack to look at Annabeth, "I just thought with the perpetual snow fall, we might as well get as much out of it as possible." I gesture towards Blackjack, "Want to go for a ride?" With a soft smile and a nod, we hoist ourselves up onto Blackjack.

"Hell yeah this is gonna be fun," he whinnies, and Annabeth barely has time to wrap her arms around me before we're lifted in the flake filled sky. My fist some of Blackjacks mane in my hands to keep my hold on him, and my legs brush his wings as they flap through the sky. Annabeth's grip tightens around me. Ever since Tartarus she hasn't been that big of a fan of heights, but we both trust Blackjack to keep us from plummeting down into another dark hole int he ground.

I turn my head in an attempt to look at Annabeth, "Are you okay?" My voice gets partially carried away in the wind.

"I'm okay," she says, and I feel her rest her head against my back, her cheek pressing against my jacket. "It's beautiful up here." She's right. The snowflakes are never ending, cascading down from the clouds that are still above us but closer. The flakes appear to come out of no where, floating like feathers around us. Blackjack was covered almost immediately with flakes, almost making him look like he has intricate dandruff covering his black hair.

"It is beautiful." The three of us stay up there for a long time, the darkening sky and snowflakes lit up with moonlight. I glance down at Annabeth's hands clasped together, and I can't help but picture mom's ring wrapped securely around her finger.


End file.
